How To Turn Your Old Video Games into New

With the holidays around the corner, as well as two new home consoles on the horizon, video gamers will soon see dozens of new games hit the market.

Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One are both set to come out this November, and accompanying them will be several titles designed for the two next-generation systems. But owners of the current-gen home consoles—the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii U—as well as those with handheld game systems will also see a wide selection of games in stores.

Between new consoles and new software, gamers are going to need fatter wallets in order to score the latest and greatest games. For those short in dough, that may mean getting rid of some of those older titles you finished long ago.

For those willing to part with those old games, here are five ways to use your current collection to help you add new titles to your shelves:

1. Trade-in: (Gamestop, Best Buy, etc.). Several stores will give you store credit or even cash when you trade in your old games. Best Buy, GameStop and Target are among the retailers with such programs, but don’t expect to make bank unless the games you’re trading in are fairly new or rare—last year’s copy of Madden or a game that’s been out for several years will likely only net you pennies on the dollar, or in the worst cases, literally just a few pennies.

2. Trade: Want to avoid the small offers the stores are bound to make for your old games? Consider swapping with your fellow gamers. Waygoz is an online community aimed at offering gamers a chance to trade games with others in their neighborhood and community. (Full disclosure: I have not had luck in getting Waygoz users to respond to my trade requests, but your luck may be better.)

3. Sell online: If you think potential buyers will jump once they see you offer your game online, then you may want to utilize the services of ebay or Amazon. (And yes, you can actually sell items on Amazon!)

4. Yard sale: Before there was ebay, there were yard sales and garage sales, and such things still exist, if you can believe it. Put some games—no matter how old they are—in your yard sale and you just might be rid of them before your sale is through. But you probably shouldn’t expect to make much unless you’re an expert at haggling with customers.

On a related note, if you’re having a yard sale, be sure to post it here on West Cobb Patch. It’s free to do so!

5. Gift to friends or family: Lastly, if you don’t expect to get much green for your games, and you just have to free up space in your collection, consider gifting what you no longer want. Your fellow gamer may thank you for it, and who knows—they may just return the favor when they have something they want to part with, and it could just be the game you’ve been waiting for.

How do you part with your old games, and what games or systems are you saving up for this fall? Tell us in the comments!

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